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Betty Hill Dress

University of New Hampshire, Durham, NHIn 1961, Betty and Barney Hill were allegedly abducted by aliens. This vintage, torn dress worn by Betty that strange fall night still carries a stain of an otherworldly nature. I’m afraid to ask.9601280

University of New Hampshire, Durham, NHIn 1961, Betty and Barney Hill were allegedly abducted by aliens. This vintage, torn dress worn by Betty that strange fall night still carries a stain of an otherworldly nature. I’m afraid to ask.

The Mars Spirit Rover

The Mars Spirit Rover

New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science, Albuquerque, NMIt’s 2004 and our robot representative moves along on the Martian surface hobbled by a malfunctioning wheel. But the broken wheel scrapes away soil, leading to a major discovery: silica. Proof there once was water on the Red Planet.9601280

New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science, Albuquerque, NMIt’s 2004 and our robot representative moves along on the Martian surface hobbled by a malfunctioning wheel. But the broken wheel scrapes away soil, leading to a major discovery: silica. Proof there once was water on the Red Planet.

Sheet Music

Sheet Music

Circus World Museum, Baraboo, WIJuly 6, 1944. A terrible fire consumes a Ringling Brothers’ circus tent, killing 168 people. The investigation turns up the problem: the tent was waterproofed using paraffin and gasoline. What were they thinking?9601280

Circus World Museum, Baraboo, WIJuly 6, 1944. A terrible fire consumes a Ringling Brothers’ circus tent, killing 168 people. The investigation turns up the problem: the tent was waterproofed using paraffin and gasoline. What were they thinking?

The Flying Car

The Flying Car

Museum of Flight, Seattle, WAThe initial test flight of this machine must have been a terror. After all, cars should be driven, not flown (just one man’s opinion).9601280

Museum of Flight, Seattle, WAThe initial test flight of this machine must have been a terror. After all, cars should be driven, not flown (just one man’s opinion).

Credit Card Machine

Credit Card Machine

Valdez Museum, Valdez, AKOn March 27, 1964 the second-largest earthquake in recorded history strikes Valdez, Alaska. Fifty years later this credit card machine from a gas station along the destroyed waterfront turns up in the weeds, a card still intact.9601280

Valdez Museum, Valdez, AKOn March 27, 1964 the second-largest earthquake in recorded history strikes Valdez, Alaska. Fifty years later this credit card machine from a gas station along the destroyed waterfront turns up in the weeds, a card still intact.

Cher Ami, Hero Pigeon

Cher Ami, Hero Pigeon

US Army Signal Corps Museum, Fort Gordon, GAIn 1918, a homing pigeon named Cher Ami saved the lives of 194 US soldiers under a deadly barrage of friendly fire -- and this pigeon did it flying 25 miles after taking a bullet from a German sniper.9601280

US Army Signal Corps Museum, Fort Gordon, GAIn 1918, a homing pigeon named Cher Ami saved the lives of 194 US soldiers under a deadly barrage of friendly fire -- and this pigeon did it flying 25 miles after taking a bullet from a German sniper.

Kittenger's Jumpsuit

Kittenger's Jumpsuit

National Museum of the US Air Force, Dayton, OHIn 1958, Capt. Joseph Kittenger wore this jumpsuit to test a new parachute system designed to save the lives of ejecting US pilots. But he would have to risk his own life, jumping from more than 20 miles above the earth!9601280

National Museum of the US Air Force, Dayton, OHIn 1958, Capt. Joseph Kittenger wore this jumpsuit to test a new parachute system designed to save the lives of ejecting US pilots. But he would have to risk his own life, jumping from more than 20 miles above the earth!

Pullman Car Lighting Brackets

Pullman Car Lighting Brackets

Seattle Museum of History and Industry, Seattle, WA A devastating avalanche destroys a Great Northern Railway car stopped in the Cascade Mountains en route to Seattle. Decades later, these bent pieces of metal turn up, evidence of a tragedy that killed more than 100 passengers.9601280

Seattle Museum of History and Industry, Seattle, WA A devastating avalanche destroys a Great Northern Railway car stopped in the Cascade Mountains en route to Seattle. Decades later, these bent pieces of metal turn up, evidence of a tragedy that killed more than 100 passengers.

Einstein's Stolen Brain

Einstein's Stolen Brain

Mutter Museum, Philadelphia, PAWhen Albert Einstein dies in 1955, his brain is illegally preserved and dissected by the doctor who performs his autopsy. He mounts specimens of the brain on microscope slides -- and makes a valuable discovery.9601280

Mutter Museum, Philadelphia, PAWhen Albert Einstein dies in 1955, his brain is illegally preserved and dissected by the doctor who performs his autopsy. He mounts specimens of the brain on microscope slides -- and makes a valuable discovery.

Spanish Treasure

Spanish Treasure

McLarty Treasure Museum, Sebastian, FL In 1961, after a decade of searching, Kip Wagner realizes his dream and discovers buried Spanish treasure at the bottom of the sea -- worth about 20 million bucks then and a whole lot more today.9601280

McLarty Treasure Museum, Sebastian, FL In 1961, after a decade of searching, Kip Wagner realizes his dream and discovers buried Spanish treasure at the bottom of the sea -- worth about 20 million bucks then and a whole lot more today.

Black Aggie

In a quiet, Washington, DC, courtyard is a mysterious bronze sculpture that depicts a mournful woman draped with a cloak. This figure is rumored to have caused pregnant women to miscarry and is even reported to have caused the death of a college student. 9601280

In a quiet, Washington, DC, courtyard is a mysterious bronze sculpture that depicts a mournful woman draped with a cloak. This figure is rumored to have caused pregnant women to miscarry and is even reported to have caused the death of a college student.

Hollywood Sign

Hollywood Sign

An actress stands in front of the Hollywood sign in Hollywood, CA. The sign looms high over the city of Los Angeles and is an iconic symbol of glitz and glamour. But there are some who claim that these 9 letters are haunted. So, what tragic event spawned these rumors?9601280

An actress stands in front of the Hollywood sign in Hollywood, CA. The sign looms high over the city of Los Angeles and is an iconic symbol of glitz and glamour. But there are some who claim that these 9 letters are haunted. So, what tragic event spawned these rumors?

Washington Monument

Washington Monument

Standing in the middle of the National Mall in the nation’s capital is the Washington Monument – a 555-foot marble tower celebrating the country’s first president. But many people say it’s the creation of a secret society determined to take over the world. So, is this striking memorial really a symbol of evil? 9601280

Standing in the middle of the National Mall in the nation’s capital is the Washington Monument – a 555-foot marble tower celebrating the country’s first president. But many people say it’s the creation of a secret society determined to take over the world. So, is this striking memorial really a symbol of evil?

Agnus Pedestal

Agnus Pedestal

The Agnus Pedestal in Druid Ridge Cemetery where the Black Aggie statue once stood. 9601280

The Agnus Pedestal in Druid Ridge Cemetery where the Black Aggie statue once stood.

On a hill outside of the small town of Elberton, GA, is one of the nation’s most peculiar monuments - a collection of 6 stones, engraved with cryptic messages, in a dozen languages. What do they say? And what is their purpose?9601280

On a hill outside of the small town of Elberton, GA, is one of the nation’s most peculiar monuments - a collection of 6 stones, engraved with cryptic messages, in a dozen languages. What do they say? And what is their purpose?

Georgia Guidestones

Georgia Guidestones

Mount Rushmore

The Black Hills of South Dakota are home to Mount Rushmore – a modern marvel featuring giant sculptures of 4 of the nation’s most revered leaders. But some claim that there is a secret vault carved into the rocks behind these colossal portraits. 9601280

The Black Hills of South Dakota are home to Mount Rushmore – a modern marvel featuring giant sculptures of 4 of the nation’s most revered leaders. But some claim that there is a secret vault carved into the rocks behind these colossal portraits.

Georgia Guidestones

Georgia Guidestones

Learn more about the Georgia Guidestones at the Elberton Granite Museum & Exhibit. 9601280

Learn more about the Georgia Guidestones at the Elberton Granite Museum & Exhibit.

A view of Hollywood from behind the "H" of the famous sign.9601280

A view of Hollywood from behind the "H" of the famous sign.

About the Show

Don Wildman visits America's museums, where strange and curious remnants of the past are revealed.

About the Host

Don Wildman shows us the secrets lurking in museums and monuments across the United States.

Don Wildman examines a species of Asian cobra that invaded a small town in Missouri, a carriage that was the site of a bizarre murder and a wealthy daredevil who swam with sharks to prove they were harmless.

Don Wildman explores a story about a man who turned a pile of rocks into a gold mine, examines a suit of armor linked to a party that led to years of war and uncovers the truth behind an event that put Johnson in the White House.

Don examines a classic toy that became a pop-culture phenomenon; a delicate silk sample that symbolizes a stunning tale of international espionage; and a quirky car designed to travel on both land and water.

Don Wildman uncovers the cause of the Eastland Disaster, one of the worst maritime disasters in American history, as he inspects a life jacket from the ill-fated steamship. And he examines an axe wielded by a killer in a bizarre double murder.

Don examines a timeworn tome that may explain the perplexing disappearance of the world's greatest mystery writer, a Renoir painting believed to have been bought for just $7, and a police ledger that tells the tale of a secretive love affair that ended in murder.

Don examines a sleek American race car that took on a top Italian automaker; a pulp-fiction science magazine that threatened to expose an explosive World War II secret; and a set of teeth that was key in the biggest public health experiments of the 20th century.

Don examines one of America's most explosive candies; a pinball machine that represents a gutsy player who saved the game from obscurity; and a flare stick that guided Londoners through a unique time period.

Don Wildman investigates a Nobel Prize winner's risky experiment in the face of the Nazis, a creative sting operation that ended the career of a notorious crime boss and a lifesaving airlift out of Vietnam.

Don Wildman investigates an iron link from the American Revolution that was also at the center of a formidable fraud, examines a small plane that helped launch some of the most incredible journeys into space and inspects a green oil pump that played a unique role in World War II.

Don Wildman investigates a Nobel Prize winner's risky experiment in the face of the Nazis, a creative sting operation that ended the career of a notorious crime boss and a lifesaving airlift out of Vietnam.

Don Wildman investigates an iron link from the American Revolution that was also at the center of a formidable fraud, examines a small plane that helped launch some of the most incredible journeys into space and inspects a green oil pump that played a unique role in World War II.